Just keep swimming...

I had to share this, it is so true. We all want to concur the world, changes our lives, but a mountain is moved a stone at a time.

"Just keep swimming..." -Dorie, Finding Nemo

Melissa

Sweet Substitute: Strawberry Banana Creams!

Ingredients:

• 8 strawberries 
• 2 oz. vanilla yogurt  (sugar free)
  
• 1/2 small banana 
• 1 tablespoon sliced almonds

Directions:
 Mash the banana in a bowl with a fork. Mix in the yogurt.
 Using a knife, carve out the middle of each strawberry.
 Fill the center of each strawberry with the banana-yogurt mixture and top with sliced almonds.

adapted from: http://www.fitsugar.com/Low-Calorie-Strawberry-Banana-Yogurt-Dessert-23901070

How Much Protein Is Too Much?

CHICAGO (CBS) – Next time you’re at the grocery store, take a look around. You may be surprised at the number of products labelled with the word “protein. ”

CBS 2′s Mary Kay Kleist asks, are we getting too much of a good thing?

Stephanie Ward’s protein-packed diet includes smoothies, beans and a fortified chocolate bar.
“I’m more inclined to buy the ones that have the little label on it that says 27 grams of protein,” she said.

Experts say American like Stephanie have an insatiable appetite for protein, thanks to research showing it can help you shed pounds, and keep you fuller longer. Whether it’s natural or added protein, a lot of products in the stores are now grabbing our attention with labels indicating there’s added protein. “Protein is one of today’s diet darlings,” said registered dietitian Jean Alves, of Rush University Medical Center. That’s why products like granola bars, cereals, juices and almond milk clearly advertise that they’ve got protein. Alves said it’s important to read labels. “The basic issue is, is it a good quality source of protein? A lot of these things that are supplemented with additional protein are accompanied by high amounts of sugar, fat, and consequently calories,” Alves said.
Some of the hottest added proteins are vegetable-based coming from sources like hemp, lentils and peas.

Jim White, from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, said that’s good news. “A lot of these proteins are dairy-free. They’re soy-free. They’re gluten free and they’re a great additive, especially for people that don’t eat meat,” he said.

The CDC recommends women need about 46 grams of protein per day. You’ll get that much by eating a three ounce hamburger, one hard-boiled egg, eight ounces of milk and one six ounce container of Greek yogurt. Most of us eat a lot more than what’s recommended.

So, how much is too much?
“A good general kind of rule of thumb is try not to exceed more than one gram of protein per pound of body weight,” Alves said. For example, if you weight 120 pounds, eating more than 120 grams of protein one day could be unhealthy. “In the most severe cases, too much protein can actually cause kidney damage, and possibly dehydration,” Alves said., Stephanie hasn’t had any problems with the added protein in her diet. In fact, she feels fortified foods help fuel her workouts. “I just want to make sure that I have enough in my body to build muscle,” she said. If you’re on a high-protein diet, dietitians say you you’ll need to cut back on carbohydrates or fat. Otherwise, you risk putting on weight, instead of losing it.

source: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2013/07/04/how-much-protein-is-too-much/

Dinner Fix: Spicy Salmon Patties

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs, beaten 
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 3 (6 oz.) cans pink salmon, boneless and skinless (drained)
• 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
• 1 tsp. Cajun seasoning
• 1/4 cup finely minced onion (or 1 tbsp. dried minced onion) 

Directions:
Heat 2-3 tbsp. oil in frying pan over medium-high heat. 
Beat eggs in a medium-size bowl and add other ingredients, mixing together gently. 
Shape into small patties and brown in frying pan about 5 minutes on each side. 
source: http://www.busymomsrecipes.com/2011/06/spicy-salmon-patties.html

You Guys Are Great!

Thank you! Thank you!

Carb Free Cloud Bread

Ingredients

• 3 eggs, separated
• 3 tablespoons cottage cheese or 3 tablespoons cream cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Separate the eggs very carefully, there must be no yolk in the white.

In one bowl, mix together the egg yolks, the 3 T. of Cottage Cheese OR Cream Cheese until smooth.

In the other bowl add 1/4 teaspoon of Cream of Tartar to the whites and beat the whites on high speed until they are fluffy and form nice peaks.

Very carefully fold the egg yolk mixture into the egg whites until mixed, but try and not break down the fluffiness of the egg whites too much.

Spray two cookie sheets with Pam or other fat-free cooking spray.

With a large spoon, “scoop” the mixture into 10 even rounds on the sheets (about the size of the top-half of the McDonalds hamburger bun; roughly 3/4 inch thick and 4 to 5 inches across).

Bake on the middle rack. Here is when you have to watch them, because the cooking time the same on any two batches. It is somewhere around 1/2 hour, but it could be less or more. You just need to watch them until them become nice and golden brown (again, the color of a McDonalds bun).

Remove from the pans and cool on a rack or cutting board.

While warm they are crumbly and similar to cooked meringue – but don’t let this fool you! Once completely cool, seal them in a ziplock storage baggie or a tupperware over night. They will totally change their consistency, to something much more like bread – a softer texture that is nice and chewy. If you do not like softer chewy bread, then eat them as they are, nice and crisp.

Since the sides that were facing the pan are perfectly flat, you use these to spread things on, or make sandwiches, or even as a burger bun! The choice is up to you, and you will be quite amazed at how much like a bun these really are! 

source: http://what2cook.net/2013/06/11/carb-free-cloud-bread/

How To Burn Stored Body Fat — A Ketosis Primer

“So, how do you tell your body to start burning stored body fat?” my friend and fellow mother asked.

“Cut the carbs,” answered another mom. “I go into ketosis just about every afternoon.”
“Ketosis? Isn’t that bad for you?”

The short answer? No.

I talk to a lot of people who want to lose weight. They try all sorts of things — exercise, calorie restriction, you name it. Sometimes, they lose the weight. Inevitably, they gain it back. That’s because what they’re doing is going on a diet — a temporary fix at best. What they need is a lifestyle change, a perspective shift, a new paradigm. Of course, you all know the paradigm I espouse — a conversion to eating real, traditional foods. Yet even a conversion to eating real food won’t necessarily help the pounds melt away. If you’re still eating 200 grams of carbohydrates a day — even if they’re “traditional” carbohydrates like sprouted or soaked grains, unrefined sweeteners, etc, you’re not going to lose weight without making some serious changes. If your body is regularly storing body fat (you gain a little bit of weight each year), then something is wrong with how your body metabolizes food. Let me introduce you to a new concept: the body fat setpoint. The body fat setpoint is the mass of body fat that your body attempts to defend against changes in either direction.  It’s your body’s attempt to maintain homeostasis. This is why if you exercise more, you eat more. It’s also why if you restrict calories, your metabolism slows down to compensate.

Why should you care about the body fat setpoint? From Stephan at Whole Health Source:

We care because this has some very important implications for human obesity. With such a powerful system in place to keep body fat mass in a narrow range, a major departure from that range implies that the system isn’t functioning correctly. In other words, obesity has to result from a defect in the system that regulates body fat, because a properly functioning system would not have allowed that degree of fat gain in the first place.

So yes, we are gaining weight because we eat too many calories relative to energy expended. But why are we eating too many calories? Because the system that should be defending a low fat mass is now defending a high fat mass. Therefore, the solution is not simply to restrict calories, or burn more calories through exercise, but to try to “reset” the system that decides what fat mass to defend. Restricting calories isn’t necessarily a good solution because the body will attempt to defend its setpoint, whether high or low, by increasing hunger and decreasing its metabolic rate. That’s why low-calorie diets, and most diets in general, typically fail in the long term. It’s miserable to fight hunger every day.

One word: ketosis.

Ketosis is the state that your body enters into when it starts converting stored fat into ketones to use as fuel for your cells. If you eat plenty of carbohydrates, you will never enter into ketosis. Instead, your body will simply use all that glucose as a fuel.

Is Ketosis Dangerous?
Ketosis has earned a bad name, though. For one thing, your body enters a ketogenic state when it starts starving itself. But if you’re eating plenty of calories and sticking to a nutrient-dense diet, you need not fear starvation. Ketogenesis doesn’t destroy muscle tissue, but is rather the process by which stored fat is turned into ketones — a perfectly usable energy source for every major body system. Others object to ketosis because it gets confused with ketoacidosis, a dangerous state in which the body not only becomes ketogenic, but also causes the blood to become too acidic. If you’re still getting your limited carbohydrates from vegetables and fruits, you need not fear ketoacidosis.

From Mark’s Daily Apple:

Finally, ketogenic diets, which are generally lumped together by critics, have gotten a lot of bad press. While experts have generally recognized their effectiveness for weight loss, very low carb diets that result in ketosis (like the Atkins) have been criticized on health grounds. The problem with these criticisms? They’re based on diets that allow for 20 grams or less of carbohydrates a day. While I believe we are not meant to run primarily on carbohydrate energy, I do believe we depend on the nutrients offered by low carb vegetables and even some low glycemic fruits. A diet of 20 carbohydrate grams simply can’t allow for the plentiful intake of nutrient-rich vegetables.

When your carb intake is low enough, say 50-80 grams a day, ketosis kicks in when it needs to. Over time, this process becomes efficient as the body “unfolds” in its genetic expression. Yet this carb intake is high enough that you can freely include copious amounts of nutrient- (including potassium) rich vegetables to offer the body sufficient nutrition, fiber, and alkalizing minerals.

In other words, when you cut your carbohydrate intake to 50-80 grams per day and still include plenty of vegetables and fruits in your diet, then your body can safely enter into ketosis when it needs to. Once you’re at your desired weight and you don’t hope to lose anymore body fat, then sticking to anywhere between 100-150 grams of carbohydrates per day will help you maintain your new body fat setpoint.

The glory of thinking this way is that you absolutely never have to count calories! In fact, you probably don’t even have to count grams of carbohydrates. Just avoid grains, sugars, and sweet fruits. If you start craving those foods, eat more saturated fat from traditional sources like ghee, coconut oil, tallow, and lard. (I swear this works!) When you reach your desired weight, give yourself more grace to eat sweeter fruits and the occasional properly treated grain, tuber, or legume.

When you’re in your “maintenance” mode, what you’ll discover is that you’re eating a diet much more in line with traditional cultures around the world — a diet devoid of artificial and processed foods, a diet full of healthy fats from quality sources, a diet rich in fermented and living foods, a diet absent sugar, you get the picture. The exact quantities of meats, vegetables, and fats you eat can vary greatly depending on your cravings and preferences, but one thing will be sure: you won’t ever want to go back to how you ate before.

source: http://www.foodrenegade.com/how-to-burn-stored-body-fat-a-ketosis-primer/

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

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Thanks!!!

Melissa

Twelve Benefits of Olive Oil

Snack Shift: Watermelon Feta Salad!

 

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds seedless Watermelon, sliced into rounds
• 1 cup crumbled feta
• 2 large shallots, sliced
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• Balsamic Vinegar, for drizzling

Directions:
Ok, this is one of the easiest recipes ever. Ready?

Toss feta and sliced shallots together.
Lay down a slice of watermelon.
Top with the feta/shallot mixture.
Add a little fresh ground pepper and a pinch of salt.
Drizzle on some delicious balsamic.
EAT.

sourcve: http://www.thenovicechefblog.com/2011/07/whatta-melon-whatta-melon-whatta-melon-whatta-mighty-good-melon/

Better Beginnings :Baked Eggs with Spinach, Ricotta, Leek and Chargrilled Pepper!

 

 Ingredients:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• a sprig fresh thyme, leaves removed from the stem
• 1/4 a leek (1/4 an onion)
• 1/2 a chargrilled pepper (or just 1/2 a pepper)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp ricotta
• 1 tbsp milk
• 2 large handfuls of spinach
• salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat the broiler in your oven, place the rack in the top third of the oven.
Peel and mince the garlic clove, and finely slice the leek into rounds.
Fry over a medium heat with the olive oil and thyme in a small skillet until the leek is softened.
Slice up the pepper into small squares, and add to the skillet.
Add the spinach too, and heat on a low flame until wilted.

Stir together the milk and ricotta, pour into the middle of the skillet (see notes), crack in the two eggs. Season generously with salt and pepper. 

Place under the broiler for a few minutes just until the whites have cooked. 

source: http://www.topwithcinnamon.com/2013/05/baked-eggs-with-spinach-ricotta-leek-and-chargrilled-pepper.html

What is Ketosis?

Answer: A lot of people are confused by the term "ketosis." You may read that it is a "dangerous state" for the body, and it does sound abnormal to be "in ketosis." But ketosis merely means that our bodies are using fat for energy. Ketones (also called ketone bodies) are molecules generated during fat metabolism, whether from the fat in the guacamole you just ate or fat you were carrying around your middle. When our bodies are breaking down fat for energy, most of the it gets converted more or less directly to ATP. (Remember high school biology? This is the "energy molecule.") But ketones are also produced as part of the process.

When people eat less carbohydrate, their bodies turn to fat for energy, so it makes sense that more ketones are generated. Some of those ketones (acetoacetate and ß-hydroxybutyrate) are used for energy; the heart muscle and kidneys, for example, prefer ketones to glucose. Most cells, including the brain cells, are able to use ketones for at least part of their energy. But there is one type of ketone molecule, called acetone, that cannot be used and is excreted as waste, mostly in the urine and breath (sometimes causing a distinct breath odor).

If enough acetone is in our urine, it can be detected using a dipstick commonly called by the brand name Ketostix (though there are other brands, as well). Even though everyone is generating ketones continuously, this detection in the urine is what is commonly called "ketosis."

The higher the concentration of ketones in the urine, the more purple the sticks will turn. The Atkins Diet, in particular, advises people to monitor ketosis as an indication of fat burning. Other reduced carbohydrate diets don't pay much attention to this, or aren't low enough in carbs to make much of an impression on the sticks. (The latter type of diet is sometimes called a "nonketogenic" low-carb diet.)

Why do some people think ketosis is a bad thing?

There is an assumption that if a body is burning a lot of fat for energy, it must not be getting "enough" glucose. However, there is no indication, from studying people on reduced carbohydrate diets, that this is the case (though there is usually a short period of adjustment -- less than a week, in most cases). Although it's true that our bodies can't break fat down into glucose (though, interestingly, they easily use glucose to make fat), our bodies can convert some of the protein we eat into glucose. Indeed, this works well for people who don't tolerate a lot of sugar, because this conversion happens slowly so it doesn't spike blood glucose.

A dangerous condition called ketoacidosis can develop in those with type 1 diabetes, and it is sometimes confused with normal ketosis. The body usually avoids this state by producing insulin, but people with type 1 diabetes are unable to produce insulin. Even most people with type 2 diabetes who inject insulin usually produce enough insulin of their own to prevent ketoacidosis.

source: http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/faq/f/whatisketosis.htm